Stark
Stark is a card-strategy video game in the ''Svea'' series, currently in development. Digital * The game benefits greatly from being digital-only, and takes advantage of this in full. ** Effects that let the player look at the opponent's cards will render them semi-transparent, and permanently visible until their location is changed or an effect counteracts this. General design principles * Card effects rarely destroy units. ** Rather, they allows the player to more easily summon their own, weak units in response. ** Some may damage units, but this is almost always non-lethal. * Very few "Tribute Summon" units. ** A few may cost more than 1 Summonstone, but more frequently used is spending multiple Stones to Summon multiple Level-1s. ** Stronger units are mostly Summoned by using several low-Level units as "terms" to summon a plus unit. ** Plus units cannot be Summoned with units that have used their effects this turn. * 1 copy of each card, only. ** This may or may not affect Deck size, that is an acceptable consequence. * Deck separation. ** There is no 1 main Deck. ** Units, Spells, and Reactions are divided. ** The game randomly draws from these pools as if they were 1. * Focus on archetypes. ** Generic effects are rare. ** Many require archetype-support, i.e. the presence of other units in the archetype to be activated. * Strong effects, limited usage. ** Stamina is persistent, same with health. ** The activation of many effects/actions consume this limited stamina. ** Many effects also cannot be activated unless archetype-supported. Rules # Each player gets to select 1 card from their Deck that will appear in their opening hand. This card must be revealed to the opponent. #* The second card from the opening hand is always a Level-1 or below unit, that can be summoned on the opening turn. #* The remaining 3 cards are completely random. # Damage taken is persistent. #* Being destroyed by an effect, then returned to the field, the health will remain at what it was when destroyed, seeing as those effects do not inherently deal damage. #* If unit A is used for a Plus Summon, and had previously taken 2 damage, the Plus unit will have its health decreased by 2 points, non-lethally (health cannot go below 1). # Damage taken by units inflict equivalent damage to the player. #* This is known as battle damage. #* The player has 40 life points to spare. #* What makes Units on the field important is that damage does not "overflow". #** A Unit that deals 4 damage to your 1-Health unit, will still only deal 1 Life Damage. The rest of the damage is "wasted", encouraging you to continue summoning weak units to mitigate life damage. #* Any card viewed to the player, or done so by effect, receives revealed status. #** Revealed cards are always visible and readable by the enemy player, in the hand or face-down on the field. #** Revealed status is removed when the location of the card changes to the Deck or Graveyard. #** Revealed as a status causes cards to be especially targetable by certain effects. Card placement * Red-colored slots are reserved for the enemy player's cards. * Green-colored slots are reserved for the player's cards. * Darker-colored slots are reserved for Unit cards. * Lighter-colored slots are reserved for Spell and Reaction cards. Effect hierarchy * Consider an arbitrary unit. * Its empty effect tree could be seen as slots to be filled. * Unit ** Property Segment - Essentially Reactions, and may be programmatically equivalent. Written in bullet form to save space, where Reactions are considered more taxing. *** … ** Action Segment - Consists of one or several action-"condition" blocks, each containing activatable effects. *** Any per turn - Effects within this block may be activated any number of times per turn, if the cost or requirements can be fulfilled. *** Once per turn - Effects within this block may be activated once per turn. The basic attack/action is always contained in a top-level once-per-turn block. ** Reaction Segment - Consists of one or more reaction blocks. *** Reaction - Concern whether or not the reaction is automatic or manual, what pre-requirements exist, what requirement exist (what is targeted), what cost exist, and what the effect is upon targets. * Examples: Snail - Destructor of Man This unit receives no Life damage. This unit cannot be returned to the hand. Actions Discard 1 card; destroy 1 unit. Send 1 of your units from your side of the field to the GY; draw 1 card. Once per turn Pay 1 Life; Special Summon a "Snail" unit from your hand. Pay 2 Stamina; destroy 1 card. Once per turn Pay 1 Stamina; Deal 2 damage. Deal 1 damage. Reactions Activated manually. Requirement The opponent has more than 2 units on their side of the field. Triggered Your opponent Normal SU Zones and Sub-Zones * Draw Deck ** Unit Deck ** Spell Deck ** Reaction Deck * Sum Deck * Graveyard ** Used Graveyard – Where cards that were Summoned or had their effects activated are placed. ** Unused Graveyard – Where cards are placed when they were not Summoned and did not have their effects activated. * Unit Zone * Spell/Reaction Zone Reaction cards :Also known as: '''Trap' cards.'' * A few slots exist where cards are placed, to be activated as reactions. These cards are hidden from the enemy player, but they are aware of their placement. *# Summon - Used when the enemy summons. *# Attack - Used when the enemy attacks. *# Spell - Used when the enemy activates a spell. *# React - Used when the enemy activates a reaction effect. * Many/Most Reaction cards activate automatically: I.e. the opponent is able to trigger the player's reaction cards with weaker cards, in order to save their stronger cards from reaction effects. Spell cards * Cards with immediate effects, that do not require a Summoning, do not have limitations on the amount that can be used per turn, and that are not limited by card slots. Draws * Players have multiple methods of drawing cards at the beginning of their turn. *# Normal - Draw the first 1 card, and keep it in the hand. *# Unit - The first 1 Unit card is added to the hand, and the first 1 non-Unit card is removed from play. *# Reaction - The first 1 Reaction card is added to the hand, and the first 1 non-Reaction card is removed from play. *# Spell - The first 1 Spell card is added to the hand, and the first 1 non-Spell card is removed from play. *# Gamble - Draw the first 3 cards. Select 1 to add to the hand, and remove the other 2 from play. *# Grave - Draw 1 random card from the Graveyard. Remove the first 1 card from the Deck and remove it from play. *# Stone - Draw no cards. Generate 1 additional Summonstone instead. Normal Summon * The player receives 1 Summonstone at the beginning of each turn. * To Normal Summon a unit, consume Summonstones equal to the unit's Summon Rank. * Any number of Normal Summons may be performed during a turn, assuming the player has sufficient Summonstones. * Units may be converted into 1 Summonstone at any point during the player's turn; this sends them to the Graveyard. Material Summon * Sending from the field to the Graveyard the Units that are listed as the Materials of a unit, that unit may be Material Summoned without consuming Summonstones. * Units that have been Material Summons retain their Materials; Material Summoning may use the Material Summoned unit or its Material components. * Fusion Units may consist of specific units as materials, arbitrary units based on type, arbitrary units based on special requirements, or any combination thereof. Example XYZ DIMOS Example A Deck consisting of Okama with powerful shut-down effects. Solitude A Deck consisting entirely of homosexuals exiled to the isle of Domian. Rescue A Deck focused on helping "Rescue" cards to the field. * Lasting Impact ** "Activates when: Your opponent attacks you directly. Negate the attack, end the opponent's Battle Phase, and Special Summon 1 'Rescue' unit to your side of the field, prioritizing Graveyard over hand." * Forced Decency ** "Activates when: Your opponent destroys a 'Rescue' unit on your side of the field. Destroyed if you cannot: Consume 1 Summonstone OR consume 1 Life. This turn, no 'Rescue' units may be moved from the field, either by destruction or effect. Damage is unaffected." * No Compassion ** "Activates when: Your opponent destroys a 'Rescue' unit on your side of the field, and you are left with 1 or less units on your side of the field. Add 1 'Rescue' unit to your hand, prioritizing Deck over Graveyard." * Emergency Pull-Out ** "Activates when: Your opponent has 2 or more units on their field, and you have no units on yours. Destroyed if you cannot: Consume 1 Summonstone. Special Summon a 'Rescue' unit from your hand to your side of the field." * Polygraph ** "During this turn, 1 Sum Summon may use Materials from the hand as well as your side of the field." * Clean Towels ** "This card may only be activated when: You have at least 1 'Rescue' unit on your side of the field. Add 1 Spell card to your hand, prioritizing Deck over Graveyard." * Stage 6 Emergency ** "This card may only be activated when: You have no units on your side of the field, and the enemy has at least 2 units on their side of the field. Pay 1 Summonstone or Life, then Special Summon all 'Rescue' units in your hand to your side of the field." * Rescue – Nurse Superior ** "When this card is Summoned, add 1 'Rescue' unit from your Deck to your hand, except for 'Rescue – Nurse Superior'." * Rescue – Ryder ** "When this card is sent to the GY, add 1 'Recue' unit from your Graveyard to your hand, except for 'Rescue – Ryder'." * Rescue – Ambulance Droid ** "Sum Summoned by 2 'Rescue' units. When a 'Rescue' unit is added from the Graveyard to your hand, you may Special Summon it." * Rescue – Singularity Machine ** "Sum Summoned by 3 'Rescue' units. 1S Self-Protection Protocol: Once per turn, inflict all enemy units with 1 non-lethal damage, and reduce the damage they deal next turn by 1." Sleuth A Detective Deck. * Sleuth – Detective Derek ** "This effect may only be activated when another 'Sleuth' unit is on your side of the field: (1S) Target 1 card in your opponent's hand, and look at it." Magna * Low-level units that have many Special Summon effects. Chrona Pending Unit-specific cards * Each turn, you may draw 1 card specific to one of the units present on your side of the field. * This is aside from the normal card you already draw. * Unlike normal cards, this draw has a large chance to dud. * These card include powerful abilities for that unit.